Solanum carolinense
| Solanum carolinense | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Solanum carolinense (common name: horse nettle)
Propagation: Seed - sow early spring in a warm greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frosts.
Cultivation: Succeeds in most soils[1].
Range: South-eastern N. America - New England to Florida, west to Texas and South Dakota.
Habitat: Dry fields and waste ground, usually in sandy soils[2][3][4].
Medicinal: This plant should be used with caution, see the notes above on toxicity.
The berries and the root are anodyne, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac and diuretic[2][3]. They have been used in the treatment of epilepsy[5][3]. They have been recommended in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis and other convulsive disorders[2][5]. The berries should be harvested when fully ripe and carefully air-dried[2].
An infusion of the seeds has been gargled as a treatment for sore throats and drunk in the treatment of goitre[6].
A tea made from the wilted leaves has been gargled in the treatment of sore throats and the tea has been drunk in the treatment of worms[3][6]. A poultice made from the leaves has been applied to poison ivy rash[3].
Usage: The leaves have been used as an insecticide[6].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: All parts of the plant are potentially poisonous[3]. Fatalities have been reported with children[3].
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.